The World Federation of Advertisers is planning to shut down the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) after receiving strong pushback from conservative media outlets.
The decision to shut down GARM comes a week after 40 marketers in the group were sent letters as the House Judiciary Committee continues its investigation into the group.
Additionally, X and Rumble both announced lawsuits against both the World Federation of Advertisers and GARM over what it claims was an illegal collusion to avoid placing advertisements with the platforms.
In a complaint filed with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, X argues that GARM enacted the quasi-boycott when Elon Musk purchased the social media platform in 2022.
“These actions were all against the unilateral self-interest of the advertisers; they made economic sense only in furtherance of a conspiracy performed in the confidence that competing advertisers were doing the same,” the lawsuit says.
The Daily Wire had strongly urged the advertising world to stop following guidelines put in place by the organization, arguing that it was “gravely concerned” about the “considerable market power” of the group.
“The application of the subjective elements of GARM’s Brand Safety Floor also frequently leads to conservative media content being erroneously maligned as misinformation, harassment, or even hate speech,” the company wrote in an open letter.
In a committee meeting last month, the House Judiciary claimed it had uncovered emails that purport to show a concerted effort by GARM leadership to move advertising dollars away from conservative media like Fox News, The Daily Wire, Breitbart News, and The Joe Rogan Experience, among others.
World Federation of Advertisers CEO Stephan Loerke told staffers in an internal memo that the decision “was not made lightly,” Business Insider reported.
